


115. Dinner with Nana and Gransha

by alley_oops, jennandanica



Series: Citadel: Luke Evans and Alex Skarsgard [115]
Category: Actor RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG), True Blood RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-02
Updated: 2008-11-02
Packaged: 2018-01-01 14:58:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alley_oops/pseuds/alley_oops, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica





	115. Dinner with Nana and Gransha

_**Luke Evans and Alex[](http://www.journalfen.net/users/skarsgard/profile)**_[ **skarsgard**](http://www.journalfen.net/users/skarsgard/): dinner with Nana and Gransha  
 **players only. backdated to May 2013. takes place the same day as[the boys begin preparing the resort for their wedding](http://www.journalfen.net/users/skarsgard/29996.html).**

Now that they've managed to make their way through the first course pleasantly enough with lots of small talk and are waiting for their mains, Luke's nana turns her full attention to Alex while her husband has her grandson occupied. "I was telling Luke you two should be spending the night before your wedding in separate rooms," she says. "At the very least."

"Oh, really?" Alex secures a completely benign but affable expression onto his face -- playing it dumb, but not surly. "Is that a traditional Welsh custom, Miss Jenny? What does it do?" He hunches into his shoulders, leaning much closer to the table than is at all comfortable for him, but hoping it will make him seem more approachable in her eyes.

"Builds up the anticipation," Jenny says, sipping at her wine, her eyes locked on Alex's face. Her grandson has certainly gone and got himself a very handsome fiance. "In days past it was because couples lived apart before marriage but now, I should think it's because you don't. It makes the wedding night more special."

"Ahh, I see." Alex nods judiciously, as if he's giving her argument serious weight and consideration. "I think I can understand that," he begins, and hopes like hell that he's not about to catch a swift sharp kick in the shin from this lover. "But, you see, Luke and I spend most of our nights apart from each other. He's moved some of his things into my house in Los Angeles, and then some other things into our house up in Carmel, but even so, he's hardly ever at either of those places. He's always traveling to shoot at this location or another one, or... I go with him when I can." Alex sips at his ice water. "But I have a really busy work schedule, too."

Jenny purses her lips. "I still think it would make your wedding night more special," she says, glancing over at her husband. "Charles, tell them I'm right."

Charles knows exactly what his wife is up to and he shakes his head. "I'm not getting involved," he says, changing the subject completely. "Did you give them the present?"

Luke gives Alex a look, grateful that his husband-to-be and gransha are both standing their ground. "What present? I told you you didn't need to give us anything."

"It's not from us," Jenny says, reaching for the gift bag she set beside her chair. "It's from your mother. I think Alex should open it."

Alex glances up at Jenny in surprise when she mentions his future mother-in-law, but the look of pure shock on Luke's face stuns him even more. He opens the gift bag slowly, carefully. Yvonne _probably_ didn't slip an IED in there - that would have been Luke's father, more likely - particularly not with her own parents here as messengers, but it's good to be cautious at times like this. From the silvery tissue paper he pulls out [an oversized delicately-carved wooden spoon](http://citadel.mediawood.net/welshdragonlovespoon.jpg). He can just make out the suggestion of a Welsh dragon within the elaborate carved lines, and his brow furrows as he shows it to Luke, wondering whether it's got any more specific meaning for his lover.

"It's a lovespoon," Luke says softly, not touching it. "Men used to carve them and give them to the girls they were courting, but nowadays they're given as wedding and anniversary gifts. You hang it on the wall of your home and it's supposed to bless your union." Which is why getting it from his mum has him with a lump in his throat the size of a small rock, his eyes glistening with moisture he's trying to pretend isn't there.

Alex is still holding out the gift in offer, but all his attention is on his lover, the shattered expression on his face. He leans in and kisses Luke on the cheek. "That's a really good sign," he murmurs, knowing that he's only stating the obvious. But he wants to drag his boy into his lap and cuddle the hell out of him right now, and he's hardly going to do that in front of Luke's grandparents. "Do you want to touch it, _älskling_?"

Luke doesn't answer but he takes the spoon from Alex, his eyes starting to fill.

"She would have liked to have been here," Charles says, reaching out to touch his grandson's shoulder.

 _Then why isn't she?_ Luke wants to say, but he doesn't, because he knows and there's no point in going over it again. He hands the spoon back to Alex. "I need a second," he whispers. "I'll be right back."

Watching Luke get to his feet and leave the dining room, Alex sets the spoon on the table and gets up as well, flashing the grandparents a quick smile. "I'll just go check on him. We'll be back soon," he assures them, then immediately turns to follow briskly out the door. He finds his lover standing in the outdoor lounge just adjacent, staring off into the sunset-streaked sky, and Alex's heart clutches painfully. "Hey," he says softly, stepping up behind and nuzzling Luke's throat, encircling him with his arms. "Talk to me?"

"It just hurts," Luke says, closing his eyes, the tears he's held back seeping from the corners. "Not having them here."

"I know, _hjärtat_." Alex hugs him tighter, hiding his face in the crook of Luke's neck. His lover is in pain, and not from anything fun. And what is Alex doing about it? He feels so fucking helpless, useless. His backbrain instincts are screaming at him to go kill sea monsters, beat the shit out of any random stranger who looks at him wrong, fucking invade a goddamn country or something. Fuck, he doesn't know how to _fix_ this, and it rips him apart that Luke is hurting. Sighing out a breath, he lifts his head and kisses Luke's temple -- and actually asks. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," Luke says softly, leaning back into Alex's embrace, his touch, his soothing touch. "Just hold me."

"Anytime," Alex whispers. He rubs his cheek against Luke's hair, and shuts his eyes as the moments pass. He knows his own family adores Luke, just as he knows that Luke's parents are unlikely to ever return the favor. But he also knows that no matter how happy the Skarsgards are about adding Luke to their clan, it can't possibly make up for the rejection his lover feels right now.

"I'm so angry at them," Luke whispers, a solemn confession and one he couldn't make to anyone except Alex. "And I don't want to be. I know why they're doing what they're doing but then my mum sends us this gift..."

Alex nods a little, chewing on his upper lip. "Do you think your father even knows? That your mom bought it for you, I mean?"

Luke shakes his head. "No. He wouldn't have let her send it," he says, dead certain he's right.

"So that's something good, yeah?" Alex murmurs, trying to find a bright spot in all this muddle. Loosening his embrace just slightly, he finds Luke's hands and links their fingers together. "Your mom isn't strong enough to openly defy him, okay. But she's showing you how much she loves you, Luke."

"I guess so," Luke says, although he knows Alex is right and that's how he should look at it. He turns in Alex's arms, burying his face against his sir's throat and just clinging for a moment.

And Alex clings back just as hard. It fucking hurts him to his core that he can't _fix_ this for Luke, can't smooth all the edges and wrap things up in shiny paper with a big pretty bow. All he can offer is himself, his support and his love. And just pray that his lover knows Alex would do absolutely anything for him.

Finally, leaning back a little so he can see Alex's face, Luke gives his lover a smile. "We should go back. They'll be getting worried."

Alex strokes his thumb along the line of Luke's cheekbone and softly kisses his lips. "I love that you brought them here. Thank you for doing that."

"I needed to have _someone_ here from my family," Luke says, surprised to find that it means so much to him. And to Alex. "I'm just glad they were willing to come."

"They're pretty kickass," Alex tells him with a grin. "Maybe we should get them together with my grandmother at the wedding dinner. They can all complain about how it's too loud, but of course there'll be that completely insurmountable language barrier, and then it won't be long at all before my gran is totally trashed..." He laughs and takes Luke's hand to lead him back into the dining room.  



End file.
